Charles Wilcox And The Other Suspects…Or Lack Of?

By now you’ve probably got an idea of what the Charles Wilcox case is about. If not, you can read my first piece here. In breaking this case down and doing the research, we look at a lot of different sources for information. One thing we did after hearing Charles Wilcox’s version of events was to file open records requests. As of this writing, I am still waiting on acknowledgment of those requests. What we want to see is the investigation notes for starters. Until then, we continue on the premise that the information provided to us is correct. And that information indicates that no one besides Charles Wilcox was even considered as a suspect in this case.

This is supported by Charles’ statements to us, as well as statements from his sister and other family members that have reached out to us of their own accord. So who else should the police have looked at as the abuser of Charles’ niece, “RS”. According to statements given to us, RS has pointed the finger at someone else entirely, even in a TV news interview. I have reached out to the local station to see if they have that interview archived. Again, as of this writing, I have had no response. Now you start to see why it can take so long to share someone’s story. Research seems to be a lot of hurry up and wait.

Charles Wilcox, undated photo from New York offender registry

The first person that should have raised police eyebrows would have been the victim’s own father, Jesse Sawyer. The starting point for this is because of his own relationship with RS’s mother. That relationship began when she was a 12 year old girl. By her own account, it was a sexually active relationship. That alone should have given the police at least some pause. Here you have a man that has already shown a predisposition for sexual assault of a child. It does not matter that this contact was “consensual.” At 12 years old, she was not capable of understanding the undertones of this relationship, or what it could possibly mean in the future. The simple fact is that a grown man, in his twenties, was sexually attracted to a little girl. Whether it was the attraction of grooming and shaping her into what he wanted or something else is unclear at this time. Nothing negates the fact that she wasn’t even a teenager when he engaged in sexual activity with her for the first time.

This isn’t pointed out to accuse Mr. Sawyer of sexually abusing his own daughter. It is simply to point out that he should have at least been considered. So far there is no evidence that he was. There is documented evidence in court transcripts that he did sexually and physically abuse his son. Not because he was ever investigated, tried or convicted for it, but because his son, as an adult, was. At the age of 29 years, Sawyer’s son was convicted of crimes against children. He is now in a federal prison, and will be for years to come. In his trial, his abuse at the hands of his father and others was documented. The abuse was so extreme that it did profoundly affect the judge in determining his sentence. The judge noted that it was amazing that he had managed to not only survive, but also have any sort of normal life at all. The judge found that more surprising than the charges themselves. When a judge is not shocked that you are a sexual predator because of your childhood experiences, it speaks volumes as to how horrific those childhood experiences were. Sexual predators are not well received in prison culture. For that reason , we have opted at this time, to not disclose his name, nor will we disclose the prison in which he is housed. He is not in protective custody, and so his day to day safety is always at risk.

RS did point the finger at an uncle, though. Just not Charles Wilcox. According to reports from Charles Wilcox and other family members, she stated on more than one occasion that Danny Sawyer was the uncle that assaulted her. According to her mother, RS tested positive for gonorrhea. Charles Wilcox was tested, and did not have gonorrhea. However, RS’s mother states that Danny did. She claims that not only did he give this STD to her daughter, he also gave it to his girlfriend at the time. As of this writing, these are statements we cannot confirm or corroborate. However, if this was a statement made to the police at the time of the investigation, it certainly should have merited a closer look. Even if it was disproved, it is simply a standard part of an investigation. According to family, this didn’t happen. In fact, they allege that no one in the Sawyer family was tested for gonorrhea at all. Danny was supposedly fresh out of jail at the time the accusations of sexual abuse surfaced, and had been in contact with his brother and the children. Again, we are stuck waiting on the investigative files to determine exactly what steps were taken in the investigation. However if, as Mr Wilcox claims, no one else was investigated, we must question why. In light of statements made by Mr Wilcox and other family members, one would expect to see an extensive investigation into the allegations made by the victim and family members. After all, it took some 4 years from the time of the first allegation until the arrest of Charles Wilcox. What was happening during those 4 years? We know that during that 4 years, the mother was engaged in a custody battle. We know that eventually, she feared for the safety of her family and let the custody fight end.

We also know that Charles Wilcox had had previous brushes with the law. He wasn’t an arch criminal, but more of a small time hoodlum. But he was never, ever previously accused, nor was he convicted of any crimes against children. Can the same be said for members of the paternal family that came into regular contact with RS and her siblings? Apparently not, according to the evidence presented at the trial of her brother. Why did the police seemingly fixate on Charles Wilcox? One theory is that Charles was “known” to the detective handling the case. According to Wilcox, he had had run ins with the detective off and on for ears, all the way back to his school days, where he was a truant, and the detective was a truancy officer. That could be true. However, the Sawyer family had it’s own history of brushes with local law enforcement as well. It is important to also note that some 20-plus years ago, there were a couple of very high profile cases involving the sexual and physical abuse of children, intermingled with the Satanic panic that gripped the nation. It seemed suddenly that every department had it’s own high profile case of sexual assault. Could Charles Wilcox have been netted into the mindset of that time? It’s certainly an angle worth looking into. And we will.

Today we have shown you two people that should have been investigated. There are others, because that is how a proper investigation should work. All accounts thus far are that only Charles Wilcox was investigated. The ‘burden of proof’ is now on them. Show us, the people, those investigative notes from 20 years ago. Show us how others were investigated, if they were, and how they were cleared. Today people question those seemingly fortuitous plea deals where the law gets their man and doesn’t have to show proof of how. Today we question investigative techniques used 20 years ago, as we see more and more convictions overturned. Today we, as the body public, hold prosecutors and police accountable, even if the law does not. Today, we know that people will falsely confess to a crime because they lack the education, and the appropriate legal representation to know better.

Join us in demanding answers, and accountability in the case of Charles Wilcox. Make your voices heard. Look at all the things we already know today. And remember, some famous person or other once said, “Imagine what we’ll know, tomorrow.”